Openings available for agriculture students to study in Honduras

Published:
03/07/2016 4:34PM
By:
booner

Fort Valley State University College of Agriculture faculty and students pose for a picture with students and faculty from the Universidad Nacional de Agricultura of Honduras summer 2015.

A free trip to Central America awaits Fort Valley State University agriculture students seeking to learn and experience new cuisines, cultures and agriculture methods.

From May 25-June 14, FVSU is offering eight agriculture students and two faculty members an opportunity to study agriculture, agricultural practices and the culture of people in Honduras as part of the U.S. Honduras Partnerships to Strengthen Faculty and Students Global Agricultural Experiences 1890 Capacity Grant.

The grant, totaling $299,550, is funding trip expenses to Honduras in 2016 and 2017.

Dr. Brou Kouakou, associate professor of animal science at FVSU, and principal investigator of the grant said the grant provides an opportunity for students who do not have resources or have reservations about traveling out of the country. It also opens the door for students to have an international experience that could lead to more job opportunities.

Slots are available for three students in animal science, three in agricultural economics and two from plant science. To be eligible for the trip, students must be in good academic standing and complete an essay about what traveling to Honduras means to them. The deadline for submitting an application and essay is March 14. If there is an overflow of applicants, grade point average (GPA) will be considered.

Kouakou said Honduras is selected because of the collaboration with the Universidad Nacional de Agricultura (UNA) of Honduras located in Catacamas. For the past 10 years, UNA allowed students to visit FVSU and learn about U.S. agriculture.

To apply, contact Dr. Mohammed Ibrahim, associate professor of agricultural economics at (478) 825-6815 (ibrahimm@fvsu.edu) or Kouakou at (478) 827-3091 (kouakoub@fvsu.edu). You can also apply by using the following link: goo.gl/QiGVrt.